Custom design

We strive to support the artisan in our own back yard, where opportunity abounds to go local and green and meet the artisan face to face. With local artisans we have collaborated to design furniture, light fixtures, upholstery, ceramic tiles, cabinets, front doors and stained glass. If there is not a local solution to our custom needs we can look further afield.

We have vast experience in custom design, working with artisans throughout the world. Using European fabrics, we can design custom bedding. From Asia, we can offer similar services, tailoring designs to the local skill sets, such as wood carving, inlay for furniture and hand knotted rugs. We are always happy to create work for artisans anywhere in the world

We design it, tailor to your needs, have it made and deliver it to your home.

The next three drawings below were part of a special project for ARC Design. The client wanted all new custom furniture for the new home on their family vineyard. The cost was prohibitive. We were fortunate to be connected, because of a local retail store, to a small family fabrication shop in Indonesia who were able to take on the the project at a fraction of the cost. Their skills did not match the skills of the eighteenth century French furniture makers we were emulating. The shop had exceptional carving skills but their veneer and inlay experience was limited. Nevertheless we designed 41 unique pieces of furniture, with well over 100 pieces made when allowing for duplicates. We provided full scale CAD drawings to avoid any confusion, and after some trials and tribulations we were able to achieve our goals. The three drawings illustrate the evocative process we went through to convey our concepts to the client and the fabricator. The fourth drawing was for another vineyard family home.

Master bedroom sofa

Master bedroom desk

Master bedroom chair

Coat stand

Examples and details of custom fixtures and furnishings by ARC Design

Carving on one of two 4ft by 8ft pocket doors.

Marquetry inlay on a vanity 100% made in Sonoma County

This piece easily breaks down into three sections to be replaced every year by a 10ft Christmas tree in the staircase rotunda.

18th century French fireplace wall re-purposed in Wine Country bedroom.

Furnishings and accessories

Furniture is complimentary to the architecture. The two fit together so that the whole is greater than the sum of their parts. Furniture and accessories add intimacy and personality, turning a house into a home. Furnishing is the art of arranging many objects, both functional and decorative into a pattern and flow. It is the art of developing a unique vernacular and language for each client where every small detail is important.

The art of mixing the old and the new. The French antiques in this picture were bought on a shopping trip to France with Marie and our client.

Again, the French antiques are mixed with the new furnishings. The TV is hidden in the media cabinet to the left. The sectional sofa allows the family to face the TV of the fireplace, and four small ottomans can be moved around to optimise any seating requirements.

The custom breakfast room table fits seamlessly with the 19th century painted French furniture and the Conrad shades complete the picture.

Color consulting

Color is light. It does not exist in isolation, each color is impacted by other colors, surfaces and textures. There is more to working with color than meets the eye. We provide a comprehensive color service, including using special colors from Belgium and developing custom colors to fine tune the requirements of a project.

Our fine art painting background first contributed to our color knowledge, yet it was our experience of literally hundreds of color consultations that allowed us to really experience the powerful role that color can have in a home or on a building. How can the simple act of color transform a space?

Shopping in Europe

When local sources do not fit our requirements, our international vendor relationships allow us to source and shop in a number of European countries.

We have experience in shopping and importing from Europe. We shop at the Paris Flea Market, source at the trade shows and know where to find antiques and reclaimed materials throughout Europe. We would love to put our experience to work helping you make the European connection.